C-870, Jose Marques (Portugal)

Description

New concert classical “Double Top” guitar

Year 2026

N-125

650mm scale with 52 mm nut width

Engelmann spruce on western red cedar top

Fan braced with a nomex inner core

Brazilian rosewood back & sides laminated with mahogany

Flamed maple neck

Ebony fingerboard with 20th fret

Sound port

Indian rosewood bridge & headstock veneer

Ebony armrest

Kraken machine heads with aluminum rollers & ebony knobs

Nitro mat lacquer finishing on top

Poly lacquer finishing for the rest of the guitar

De Cascia fiberglass case included

 

Guitars weight is 1.8 Kg / 3.968 lbs

Body length is 48 cm / 18.89 inches

Upper bout is 27.5 cm /10.82 inches

Lower bout is 36.5 cm / 14.37 inches

Depth of body is 9.8 cm/ 3 7/8 inches

 

About the Luthier

Born in Portugal, José Marques developed an early connection to both music and woodworking — two disciplines that would later define his vocation. After an initial career in fine carpentry, he turned his attention fully toward the art of lutherie, beginning his formal training under the respected Portuguese maker Daniel Luz.

Marques’s earliest instruments drew deeply from Portugal’s rich musical heritage, particularly the guitarra portuguesa and the viola campaniça. Over time, his focus evolved toward the classical guitar, where traditional craftsmanship and contemporary acoustic concepts could meet in a more personal and exploratory way.

Following periods of professional work in the United Kingdom, where he expanded his technical knowledge across various workshops and disciplines, Marques returned to Portugal and established his atelier in Cortiçois. There, he dedicates himself to the construction of concert classical guitars distinguished by their refined craftsmanship, responsiveness, and modern tonal architecture. His work reflects a thoughtful balance between tradition and innovation, with particular attention given to projection, playability, and the expressive potential of the instrument.

 

About the Guitar

Built in 2026, this concert guitar embodies José Marques’s contemporary approach to classical guitar making. This spruce on cedar double top combines a finely voiced outer soundboard with an ultra-light internal core, creating a structure of remarkable sensitivity and efficiency. The result is an instrument that responds with exceptional immediacy while retaining stability and composure across an expansive dynamic range.

The Brazilian rosewood back and sides provide warmth, depth, and tonal richness, complementing the quick response of the double top with a broad and sustaining resonance. The bass register is full and articulate, while the trebles possess clarity, focus, and impressive carrying power. Across the entire fingerboard, the guitar maintains an elegant tonal coherence, with seamless transitions between registers and a controlled, refined overtone palette.

In performance, the instrument offers outstanding projection and sustain alongside an unusually effortless responsiveness. It accommodates both the most delicate nuances of touch and a more assertive concert approach without sacrificing clarity or balance.

Its lightweight construction further enhances comfort during extended playing sessions, reinforcing the guitar’s practical sophistication as a modern concert instrument.

José Marques’s 2026 Double Top is a compelling example of contemporary lutherie — an instrument that unites precision, power, and refinement in equal measure. Designed for the demands of today’s concert guitarist, it delivers immediacy of response, tonal balance, and expressive flexibility at the highest level.